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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — ground
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. land — a country
  6. spring — the season
  7. march — music
  8. can — to be able to
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. perch — the fish
  12. spring — a coil
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. land — to come down
  15. can — a tin
  16. key — for a lock
  17. ground — the earth
  18. spring — of water
  19. ground — a position
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. can — a tin
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — crushed
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com